rec: Before the Moon Falls

Story: Before the Moon FallsAuthor: ClocketpatchRating: All AgesWord Count: 2750Author's Summary: This is the story of Ruby-and-White, daughter of the Qetesh.Characters/Pairings: Ruby White, other Qetesh (original characters)Warnings: None

Recced because: Clocketpatch is fabulous at constructing literally whole worlds of backstory, which is why when I won a story from her in a charity auction, I asked for one of the background of a minor character from The Sarah Jane Adventures. She chose Ruby White, and created this brilliance, which…you know, I’m just going to plagiarize from my own review:“There's so much detail, and so well thought-out--everything fits together and weaves together into this amazingly beautiful world and history. You give us these little sketches and peeks at facets of the culture--I especially love what you've done with the color names, since I have such a thing for narratively/symbolically significant names. And I love the lesson/legend structure of the story as a whole, and the little ways in which the original characters are subtly differentiated from each other…[I love] the quotes scattered throughout…I especially love the ending quotes; they just tie up the whole story and sum up who Ruby and her existential crisis all at the same time.”Also, while Ruby has only appeared in SJA, this fic does not occur in the time or place of her episode, and makes few references to it. If you are familiar with SJA canon, you’ll have fun filling in the blank spots in the background of a fascinating villain, and if you’re not, you’ll still marvel at the inventiveness and originality without feeling like you’re missing key information.

Qetanesh is a dead world. This isn’t unusual. The universe is full of dead planets and moons and asteroids. Most of them have never lived and never will. They are lifeless spheres (or oblongs, or abstract shapes depending on their weight) made up of rock and gas, ice and dust. Some are very beautiful in their desolation. They are dark and quiet, bright and abandoned. Silence echoes across their empty canyons. Storms plough across their deserts. No one sees their lightning strikes. No one is put in danger by their floods.

Qetanesh was not always dead. That is not to say that it supported life which has since gone extinct; saying that is like saying a dog is only alive if it has fleas. The planet itself was once alive.

The rocks and gasses and burning oceans flowed in deliberate pattern. It was a life form with lava in its veins and its breath was the wind. Qetanesh painted pictures with clouds and rainbows and danced in orbit. Qetanesh thought slow, world-sized thoughts. Qetanesh sang.The entire system of Qetan was filled with living worlds. Once.